Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 5 / Trend H. Hasanov /
There is hot news from Ashgabat. Asian companies got $10-billion-contract for the commercial development of super gas giant - Yoloten deposit recently discovered in Turkmenistan. The leading Western companies relied on it.
The winners of the competition became Chinese CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Ltd, Petrofac International LLC and Gulf Oil & Gas FZE from the UAE, as well as the South Korean LG International and Hyundai Engineering Co. ltd.
Commenting on the results of the international tender, a Turkmen economist said over phone from Ashgabat that it deals with only the first stage of development of this field. Its magnitude is sensational. There will be many contracts. Recently, another field Minara was discovered 90 kilometers from Iolotan. There are optimistic calculations on areas of Gazanly, West Iolotan, Yandakly and others.
"There is a big possibility that all these deposits are united. It is the world's largest area of oil and gas. Its rough surface can hit about 1,000 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide," he said, referring to the research of local geologists.
At this stage evaluative reserves worth up to 14 trillion cubic meters of natural gas are rather well-founded. British auditor Gaffney Cline & Associates (GCA) has confirmed it. Addressing at a recent conference in Ashgabat, GCA business development director Jim Gillet, called hints about overstating this data by British experts as speculation in the press. He insisted that this field can be failrly included in the five largest gas pockets of the planet.
It was known that, according to Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow's decree, $4-billion-loan from the China State Development Bank, as well as own funds of the general customer - state concern Turkmengaz will be used while realizing the current stage of this tremendous project.
"This event marks another important step in the implementation of Turkmenistan's energy strategy and, specifically, those aspects as acceleration of capacity of domestic fuel and energy complex, strengthening the resource base of export gas pipelines through an accelerated start-up and commissioning of new hydrocarbon fields discovered in the past years in the country, " the Turkmen media reported.
A list of tender winners:
CNPC
CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Ltd from China won the contract for the design and construction of facilities. The contract envisages the development of South Yolotan gas field to extract tank gas worth 10 billion cubic meters a year to the total amount not more than $3 128 001 139.65 (VAT).
Gulf oil & gas
The Company from the United Arab Emirates, Gulf oil & Gas FZE, has received a contract to build underground facilities. The contract envisages the development of South Yolotan gas field to get 20 billion cubic meters of tank gas per year to the total amount of not more than $1 150 000 000 (VAT).
Petrofac
Petrofac International LLC from the UAE signed a deal to design and build a complex to refine tank gas from sulfur with annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters. The land-production facilities will be built to get tank gas with capacity of 20 billion cubic meters per year to the total amount of not more than $3 978 500 000 (including VAT) at one of South Yolotan gas fields.
LG and Hyundai
The consortium of companies from South Korea - LG International and Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd got the contract for design and construction of a complex to refine tank gas from sulfur with annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters to the total amount of $1 484 569 500 (including VAT) at one part of South Yoloten field.